Shuto

Shuto 首都
Capital City
Shuto Metropolitan District
Clockwise from top: Shibuya Skyline, Shibuya Square at Night, Imperial Park Main Gate, Daido Tower, Tayichian Imperial Diet, Shogungosho Obelisk
Country	Tayichi
Province	Shuto Metropolitan District
Establishment	1127
Government
• Type	Executive Mayoralty & Deliberative Assembly
• Body	Shuto Metropolitan Council
• Mayor	Masahiro Okawa (LDP-R)
Area
• Capital City	2,033.0 km2 (784.96 sq mi)
• Urban	2,143 km2 (827.3 sq mi)
• Metro	5,260 km2 (2,032 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Capital City	12,712,923
• Rank	1st in Tayichi
• Density	6,253/km2 (16,200/sq mi)
• Metro	14,900,000
• Metro density	2,833/km2 (7,340/sq mi)
Postal Code	29 areas
Vehicle registration	首都(SHU)
GDP	金1.5 Trillion ($926.1 Billion)
Per Capita	金118,014 ($72,847)

Shuto is the capital and most populous city of Tayichi, located at the mouth of the Taīga river, one the western coast of the nation's largest island - Hashita. Most of the city is part of the Shuto Metropolitan District, a provincial-level authority. Its inner core, which is considered to be on of the world's leading centers of finance, commerce, culture, technology, entertainment, media, academics, art and fashion, is stretched out over numerous islands that make up the Taīga River Delta. Shuto is the center of one of the world's principal metropolitan economies.

With a population of around 12.7 million people, distributed over 785 square miles (2,033 km²), the city is the most densely populated major city in Tayichi. Shuto has more than double the population of Idaina, the nation's second-most populous city. Shuto is the demographic and economic center of the Lower Taīga Megalopolis and the Shuto Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in Tayichi by both population and urban area. The city has long been the premier gateway for immigration to Tayichi, making it the most ethnically and linguistically diverse city in the country.

Whilst the current city was founded following its castle's construction in 1127, numerous former settlements predate Shuto due to the region's strategic position at the tip of the longest and most important river in Hashita. The city rapidly grew in the 18th and early 19th century following the end of Tayichian isolation, and became the largest in 1809, but was ravaged by a destructive earthquake in 1821. Following the earthquake the city was reconstructed in the Totariku architectural style, which is mostly based on Northern and Western Amnisian architecture. A large network of wide boulevards and grand monuments spanned the new city, converging at Shogungosho, while it also became the nation's new capital in 1837. In the early 20th century Shibuya, the new financial center of the city, became the center of a skyscraper construction boom, firstly in an art-deco style. Its skyline is still one of the most defining characteristics of Shuto today.

Shibuya, the Central Business District of Shuto, has long been called the main financial center of Borealia and one of the largest in the world. As of 2023, Shuto is one of the economically most powerful cities in Borealia, with a metropolitan GDP surpassing $1 trillion. If the Shuto Metropolitan Area were its own country, it would have one of the largest economies in the world. The city is home to the Shuto Imperial Exchange, one of the leading in terms of market capitalization, and is an established safe haven for global investors. Numerous billionaires, individuals of ultra-high net worth and millionaires reside within the city.

Geography

Shuto is situated on the western coast of Hashita, the largest island in the Tayichian Archipelago. Its location at the mouth of the Taīga River, which feeds into the Inner Sea, has historically helped the city in significance as a major trade port. Most of the Inner City is built on numerous islands within the delta, while the outskirts and suburbs are mostly situated on the mainland. The five most prominent islands that make up most of the city's central core are Meguro, Shibuya, Taito, Minato and Nerima.

During the latest glacial period, the area that today makes up Shuto was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet. The erosive movement of the ice led to the creation of a shallow bay which would later make up the majority of the Taīga River Delta. Additionally, that action left bedrock at a relatively shallow depth, providing a strong foundation for most of Shibuya's skyscrapers, as well as aiding in their earthquake resistance.

While the Taīga and its many distributaries are the primary freshwater waterways within the city, numerous smaller rivers and streams feed into them inside the city limits as well. The most notable is the Arakawa River, the second longest river in the Fachi region, which flows from the northeast into the Taīga in the Koto city district. Historically the most important of Taīga's distributaries was the Sumida, which seperates the Meguro, Shibuya, Nerima and Taito islands, as it was a major extension of the Port of Shuto.

The city's land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation and river engineering projects. The Taīga River Delta has been entirely channelized, stopping its natural change in shape and flow. Land reclamation is the most prominent along its coast, which has been mostly evened out, especially around the Port of Shuto. Some of the natural relief in topography has been evened out, especially in the inner islands.

The highest point within the limits of the Shuto Metropolitan District is Okutama near its southeastern end, at 232 meters.